Lively v. Darby
Lively v. Darby
Opinion of the Court
Lively, a citizen and taxpayer of the City of Vidalia, instituted quo warranto proceedings to inquire into the right of Darby to hold the office of mayor, to which he was elected on the second Wednesday in December, 1929. The charter of Vidalia (Ga. Laws 1922, p. 1009) prescribes as a qualification of the elective officers of the city, including the mayor, that they shall be “at the time of their election . . qualified voters of said city.” The specific cause of disqualification alleged against Darby was that he had not, as required by the constitution (Civil Code (1910), § 6397), paid, six months prior to his election, “all taxes
The only questions for consideration are whether the State and county taxes of Darby for 1928 had been paid; and if so, whether this had been done in accordance with the constitutional provision mentioned. On these questions, the proof is, in effect: On April 16, 1929, at the request of Darby, the clerk of the county commissioners, issued several county warrants, some of which were payable to Darby, and some to corporations and partnerships which he owned or controlled, and on that day these warrants were delivered to the tax-collector of the county to be applied on Darby’s taxes. The tax-collector accepted the warrants in payment of the 1928 taxes. He had been authorized by the county commissioners to accept county warrants in payment of taxes, and it was the custom to do so. There was at all times between April 16 and December 27, 1929, money on hand in the county treasury with which the warrants could have been lawfully paid. The warrants were held by the tax-collector until August 26, 1929, when they were endorsed by Darby, and on December 27, 1929, payment of them was obtained by the tax-collector. Interest on the amount of the tax was collected to August 26, 1929. The- receipt was issued on .that date, but the copy of the receipt appearing in the record does not carry any date.
The facts just stated being the only evidence on the question, the court was authorized to find that the taxes in question were
Judgment affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.